Refrigerating method and machine



Sept. 1, 1931. F. w. GAY 1,821,508

REFRIGERATING METHOD AND MACHINE Filed March 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet lATTORNEYS REFRIGERATING METHOD AND MACHINE Filed March 1928 4Sheets-Sheet 2 g? INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

Sept. 1, 1931.

F. W. GAY

REFRIGERA'IING METHOD AND MACHINE Filed March 2 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 3QWZ% ATTORNEYS Sept. 1, 1931. F. W. GAY 1,821,508

REFRIGERATING METHOD AND MACHINE Filed March 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4NVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 1, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEFRAZER- W. GAY, OI NEWARK, NEW JERSEY REFRIGERATING METHOD AND MACHINEApplication filed March 27, 1928. Serial No. 265,134.

This invention relates in general to socalled mechanical refrigeratingmethods and machines. In known methods and machines of this character arefrigerant gas is compressed in a cylinder, liquefied in a condenser,the liquid thus formed is valved into an expansion chamber Where it isvaporized, and the vapor is then returned to the compression cylinder.Many valves and stuffing boxes are employed which are unreliable andrequire careful attention of a mechanic to maintain continued operation.

Among the objects of my invention are to provide a method and machine ofthe general character described eliminating the necessity for saidmultiplicity of valves and other unreliable parts, and including intheir stead, a simple, eflicient and reliable heat transferring valvecomprising a single hermetically sealed chamber whereln the refrigerantvapor is successively subjected to compression, condensation andvolatilization or vaporization and through which heat is extracted andconveyed from the chamber to be cooled.

Other objects are to provide a refrigerating machine of this characterincluding a chamber for a refrigerant liquid, the walls of which can becollapsed and expanded to vary the capacity of the chamber and causecompression and expansion of the refrigerant vapor, the bottom or floorof said chamber forming a part of the roof or ceiling of the vessel fromwhich it is desired to extract heat and the top or roof of said chamberserving as a condenser; to provide a novel and improved combination andarrangement of a plurality of such chambers whereby great efliciency inheat exchange is obtained, and to obtain other advantages and results aswill more fully. appear from the following description.

My invention in its simplestform embodies only one chamber, but in thepreferred form illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

two chambers are utilized and arranged in.

tandem so that as one is expanded and collapsed the other issimultaneously collapsed and expanded respectively and by the sameoperating means.

Referring to said drawings in which corresponding and like parts aredesignated throughout the several views by the same referencecharacters,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of therefrigcrating machine;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 ofFigure 1;

Figure 3 is an end elevation viewing the machine from line 33 of Figure1,

Figure 4 is a schematic sectional elevation of another form of theinvention, and

Figure 5 is a schematic view of operating means for the compressing andexpanding chambers.

Specifically, describing the embodiment of my invention illustrated inFigures 1 to 3,

inclusive, of the drawings, the reference character A designates arefrigerator having the usual heat insulating walls, and in which areprovided the usual shelves B for supporting articles of food. A shelf Cis also provided for su porting a tank D containing brine E. Su mer edin the brine is a vessel 1 havin a reduce neck portion extending upwardy through the top of the refrigerator and terminating in a compartment 3comprising a bottom wall 4, top wall 5 and a side wall 6. Thiscompartment is preferably substantially circular in plan view and aportion of the top wall 5 is in the form of a cup 7 depending into thecompartment 3, as clearly shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. The wall 5serves both as a roof for the compartment 3 and the bottom or floor ofthe valve chamber 8 whose side walls 9 are shown as elastic or flexibleso as to be expansible and collapsible to vary the capacity of thechamber. As shown, the side walls 9 form what is commonly known as a sylhon. The'chamber 8 also has a top or roo wall 10 which also forms thebottom or floor of a second valve chamber 11 coaxial with but somewhatsmaller than the chamber 8. The a wall 10 thus constitutes a partitionbetween the chambers 8 and 11, and it has a cup 12 depending therefrominto the chamber 8 and adapted to telescopically enter the cup 7. Theside walls 13 of the chamber 11 are of the same formation as the walls 9of the chamber 8 so that the capacity of the chamher 11 may be varied byexpansion and contraction of the side walls. The chamber 11 has a topWall or roof 14 which is recessed to receive a container 15 for avolatile liquid 16, said wall being supported upon and connected to thewall 4 or to of the refrigerator A by standards 140. he bottom of saidchamber 15 has a cup 17 extending through the wall 14 into the chamber11. This chamber 15 is also connected by a pipe 18 to a radiator 19which serves to cool the vapors of the liquid 16 as hereinafterdescribed.

Within the vessel 1, the chamber 8, and the chamber 11, are hermeticallysealed substantiall equal quantities of a suitable volatile re rigerant,preferably butane, and the liquid 16 is also preferably butane andhermetically sealed within the container 15, pipe 18 and radiator 19. Inaccordance with the invention the partition 12 is alternately moved inopposite directions to compress the vapors of the volatile liquid in oneof the chambers 8 and 11, and simultaneously e xpand or vaporize therefrigerant liquid in the other chamber, and it is during thesemovements of the partition 12 that heat is extracted from the vessel 1and conveyed through my heat transfer valve to the radiator 19 where itis dissipated into the atmosphere.

The partition 10 may be actuated by any suitable means but I have showna cross-head 20 connected to said partition and extending upwardlythereabove and connected at 21 to one end of a connecting rod or pitman22, the other end of which is journalled on a crank pin 23 attached to acranlr disc 24 journalled on a shaft 25, the peripherypf which is in theform of a gear 26 which meshes with a pinion 27 on the shaft of anelectric motor 28 supported on a suitable standard or pedestal 29 on thetop of the refrigerator A. The motor 28 also drives a fan 30 for forcingair through the air passages of the radiator 19 and preferably a ring 31is attached to the extremity of the fan blades to serve as a flywheel.With this construction it will be observed that the partition 12 will beconstantly reciprocated by the motor 28, and, thereby the capacities ofthe two valve chambers 8 and 11 are simultaneously varied.

In operation of my heat transfer valve and assuming that the position ofthe partition is such as to make the chamber 11 of maximum capacity, thevolatile refrigerant in the chamber will be in vaporous form. As thepartition 10 is moved toward the wall 14, the sides 13 of the chamber 11are collapsed and the capacity of said chamber reduced. This compressesthe vapors in the chamber to a high pressure and with the increasingtemperature the latent heat in the vapors will be transferred throughthe cup 17 to the volatile liquid 16 in the container 15. During thistransfer of heat, the vapors will be condensed and drip into andpartially fill the cup 12 as the latter approaches the dotted lineposition of Figure 2. Obviously the butane in the cup 7 will have beenvolatilized by the simultaneous expansion of the chamber 8. Thepartition 10 is then moved in the other direction toward the bottom wall5 of the chamber 8, whereupon the capacity of said chamber 8 is reducedand the capacity of the chamber 11 increased. It will be evident,therefore, that the vapor in the chamber 8 will thereby be compressedand condensed which action takes place in the following manner. As thepartition 10 starts toward the wall 5, a partial vacuum is formed by theenlarged volume of the chamber 11 and this gradually increasing capacityis constantly compensated by volatilization of the liquid in the cup 12to fill the chamber. The temperature of the cup 12 and the liquidtherein rapidly falls by reason of the giving up of heat by the liquidto vaporize the liquid. At the same time the pressure and temperature inthe chamber 8 rapidly increases due to its diminishing capacity; and thetemperature of the cup 12 is soon so low and the pressure of the vaporin the chamber 8 is so high, that said vapor is condensed on the lowerside of the cup 12, at the same time giving up its latent heat tovolatilize the liquid in the cup 12. During the remainder of themovement of the partition 10 toward the bottom 5 of the chamber 8, thetemperature and pressure in both the chambers 8 and 11 remainssubstantially constant until most or all of the vapor in the lowerchamber 8 has been condensed on the cup 12 and dri ped down andpartially filled the cup 7, an most if not all of the liquid in the cup12 has been volatilized. At the end of this movement the cup 12 is inthe dotted line position of Figure 2, and thereupon the movement of thepartition 10 is reversed and it rises slowly toward the top wall 14 ofthe chamber 11. Immediately the volatile liquid in the cup 7, boils, andits vapor compensates the increasin capacity of the chamber 8.Thereupon, t e temperature of the cup 7 and its liquid falls until it isbelow the temperature of the liquid in the vessel 6, (see Figure 1), thevapor of which is in contact with the underside of the cup 7. The liquidin the vessel 1 now boils, and its vapor condenses on the underside ofthe cup 7, giving up its latent heat to the liquid in the cup 7. Thevapor in the chamber 11 increases in pressure and temperature until itcondenses on the underside of the cup 17 and transfers its heat to theliquid 16 in said cup and the container 15. The vapors of the liquid 16thus produced are conducted through the pipe 18 to the radiator 19 wherethey are cooled by the fan 30. The operation is then repeated.

It is possible to separate the heat transferring elements from the comressin and expendingl elements, that is it 1s possi le to arrange t ecups 7, 12 and 17 in chambers of unvarying capacity and to compress therefrigerant vapors in separate devices, and conduct the refrigerantvapors from said devices to the heat transferring elements. Anillustration of this form ofthe invention is found in Figure 4 of thedrawings, where a casing 32 is transversely divided by the partitions33, 34, and 35 into a plurality of chambers 36, 37, 38 and .39. Y Thechamber 39 communicates with its floor or bottom through a conduit 40with the vessel 1. The partitions 33, 34, 35 have respective centralcup-like portions 41, 42 and 43. The chamber 36 contains a volatileliquid 44 corresponding to the liquid 16, while the-cups 42 and 43contain substantially equal quantities ofa refrigerant, for example,butane. The chambers 37 and 38 are respectively connected to sylphons 45and 46 which may be expanded and contracted by any suitable means suchas by a walkin -beam 47 pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on afixed support as at 48 and having its ends connected to the top walls ofthe respective sylphons as shown in Figure 5 of the drawings. Thewalkingbeam may be oscillated by any suitable means through a link 49.

With this construction it will be observed that the butane in thechambers 37 and 38 will be alternately compressed and expanded byoperation'of the s'ylphons 45 and 46 and when the vapors in' the chamber37 are compressed they give up their latent heat of evaporation to thel1quid44 and are condensed on the outside of the cup 41, while when thevapors in the chamber 38 are compressed they give up their latent heatto the liquid in the cup 42 and are condensed by the decreasingtemperature of the vapors in the chamber 37, as the vapors therein areexpanded simultaneously with the corn ression of the vapors in thechamber 38. hen the liquid in the vessel 1 boils the vapors thereof giveup their heat to the liquid in the cup 43 and condenseson the undersideof saidcup. It will be evident, therefore, that the operation of thisform of the invention is the same as'that of the construction showninFigures 1 to 3;, inclusive, the main 'difi'erence being in theconstruction and combination of the ap paratus.

The vessel 1 and its tube serves in both forms as a heat valve to permitflow of heat from the brine E to the chamber 8 and prevent flowof heatin the other direction.

.It should be understood that other means than the sylphons may beutilized for com-- pressing and expanding the refrigerant, for

0 example rubber bulbs which are alternately compressed and permitted toexpand might be used; and other means for actuating the 1 increasing anddecreasin compressing and expanding means might be utilized in place ofthe motor 28 and its connections to the partition 10, or the walkingbeam47 of Figures 4 and 5. Instead of using butane or the like and theradiator 19, it is possible to obtain good results by merely cirat a lowtemperature contacts only with said cold body and boils so as to removeheat from said cold body, and said refrigerant .in vaporous statecontacts only with and condenses upon said hot body so that therefrigerant gives up its heat to said hot body.

2. The method of transferring heat from a cold body to 'a relatively hotbody, consisting in alternately decreasing and increasing the pressureof a refrigerant in contact with body said cold body and said hot bodyso that said refrigerant in the form of a liquid at a low temperaturecontacts only with said cold body and boils soas to remove heat fromsaid cold body, and said refrigerant in vaporous state contacts onlywith and condenses upon said hot body so that the refrigerant gives upits heat to said hot body, and insulating by another gas said cold bodyfrom said re rigerant when the latter is hot. i

3. A heat transferring device, comprising a bodily stationary chamber tocontain resufficient to condense it and expanded sufficiently to permitvolatilization thereof.

4. The method of transferring heat from a medium at low temperature to amedium at high temperature, consisting in successively the volume of ahermetically enclosed re rigerant to alternately compress itsufliciently to condense it and expand it sufficiently to volatilize it,and

causing said refrigerant to contact by action of gravity in vaporouscondition with said hot medium and in liquid condition with said coldmedium.

5. A device for transferring heat from a medium at low temperature to amedium at higher temperature, comprising a hermetically sealed chamberhaving a refrigerant therein, means for successively increasing anddecreasing the volume of said refrigerant to alternately change it froma liquid to a gas and vice versa, said chamber having a top portion ofthe walls thereof in juxtaposition with the medium at higher temperatureto which heat is to be transferred, and a bottom cupped portion inuxtaposition with the medium at low temperature from which heat is to betransferred.

6. A device for transferring heat from a medium at low temperature to amedium at higher temperature, comprising a hermetically sealed chamberhaving a refrigerant there in, means for successively increasing anddecreasing the volume of said refrigerant to alternately change itfrom'a liquid to a gas and vice versa, said chamber having a top portionof the walls thereof in juxtaposition with the medium at highertemperature to which heat is to'be transferred, a bottom cupped portionin juxtaposition with the medium at low temperature from which heat isto be transferred, and a heat valve between said low temperature mediumand the cupped portion of the bottom wall of said chamber adapted toallow the free passage of heat from said low temperature medium to saidbottom wall but acting as a heat insulator to the flow of heat from saidbottom wall to said low temperature -medium.

7. The method oftransferring heat from a body of refrigerant at a lowtemperature to a higher body of refrigerant at a high temperature byinterposing an intermediate body of refrigerant between said'bodies tocontact with both thereof, and alternately compressing said intermediatebody of refrigerant to small volumeand expanding it to relatively largevolume.

8. A heat valve, consisting of an expansible and contractiblehermetically sealed chamber containing a volatile liquid and its vapors,a cold vessel beneath said chamber and a relatively hot vessel abovesaid chamber, both vessels to contact with said chamber to facilitatethe rapid passage of heat vertically upward, and means to expand andcontract said chamber to vary the volume thereof.

9.. A device for transferring heat from a low temperature body to anambient cooling medium, comprising a hermetically sealed chambercontaining a refrigerant and having a cupped bottom to accumulate saidrefrigerant as a liquid and contacting with a top'portion of said lowtemperature body, means for successively increasing and decreasing thevolume of said hcrlnetically sealed chamber whereby during decreasing ofsaid volume the pressure and temperature. of said refrigerant isincreased and upon the increasing of the volume of said (-hauu ber aportion of said condensed refrigerant volatilizes, means to expedite theflow of cold body to the cupped bottom of said sealed chamber.

10. A refrigerator containing a refrigerant gas, a chamber having anouter lower portion in contact with said refrigerant gas from which itextractsheat'by condensing said gas and an upper portion adapted toradiate heat, said chamber containing the vapor of a second body ofvolatile liquid, and means for increasing and decreasing the pressure ofsaid second vapor in said chamber so that during periods of highpressure said vapor condenses to a liquid onthe radi ator portion ofsaid chamber and runs down into said lower portion where it volatilizeswhen pressure of said vapor is reduced and thereby cools its outer lowerportions sothat the first-mentioned refrigerant gas gives up its heat tosaid lower portions and condenses thereon and falls back into saidrefrigerator.

11. The method of transferring heat'from .a cold body to a hot body,consisting in arranging said bodies in vertically spaced relationwiththe hot body uppermost, interposing therebetween. in contact withboth thereof an intermediate enclosed body of refrigerant adapted 'tohave its temperature raised by volume expansion and contraction througha range from lower than said cold body to higher than said hot body, andalternatelyincreasing and decreasing the volume of said refrigerant sothat each of the three bodies facilitatesthe rapid passage of heatupward by the volatilization of said refrigerant in liquid form and thecondensation of said refrigerant in vaporous form.

12. The method of, transferring heat con-.

sisting in successively compressing and expanding vapors of arefrigerant in one chamber and simultaneously expanding and compressingother vapors of a refrigerant in another chamber having a portion of itsbottom in contact with the first mentioned vapors, causing contact ofthe walls of one of said chambers with vapors of a volatile liquidenclosed in a'vessel which is in contact with the. medium to becooled,and rewall and another end wall common to both chambers, said chambersalso having independent elastic side walls connecting said common wallto the respective stationary end walls, and means for reciprocating saidcommon wall to increase and decrease the capacity of one chamber andsimultaneously respectively decrease and increase the capacity of theother chamber.

15. A heat transferring device comprising a chamber to containrefrigerant vapors, a vessel containing a volatile liquid in contactwith the medium from which heat is to be transferred and arranged sothat its vapors may contact with a portion of the walls of said chamber,a second vessel containing volatile liquid in contact with anotherportion of the walls of said chamber and so arranged that its vapors cancontact with the medium to which the heat is to be transferred, andmechanical means for increasing and decreasing the pressure in saidchamber so that the pressure of the refrigerant is alternately raisedsufiiciently to condense the refrigerant and expanded sufliciently topermit volatilization of the refrigerant.

16. A refrigerating machine comprising a refrigerator heat insulatedcasing, a tank containing brine within said casing, a hermeticallysealed vessel dipping into said brine and containing a refrigerantliquid, a chamber containing refrigerant vapors, said chamber and saidvessel being so arranged that the vapors of each can contact withopposite sides of a common wall, means for alternately compressing andexpanding the vapors in said chamber, a second vessel containing arefrigerant liquid and so arranged with respect to said chamber that thevapors in said second vessel and said chamber contact with oppositesides of a common wall, and means for cooling the vapors in said secondvessel.

17. A refrigerating machine comprising a refrigerator heat insulatedcasing, a tank containing brine within said casing, a hermeticallysealed vessel dipping into said brine and containing a refrigerantliquid, two alined chambers each to contain refrigerant vapors andhaving one common wall, one of said chambers and said vessel being soarranged that vapors in each can contact with opposite sides of a wallcommon to both said chambers and said vessel, means for compressing andexpanding the refrigerant vapors which are in one chamber andsimultaneously respectively expanding and compressing the vapors whichare in the other chamber, and a second container for refrigerant liquidso arranged with respect to the other of said chambers that the vaporsin said chamber and said container contact with a wall common to boththe second chamber jacent chambers having a horizontally disposed wallin common, means for successively compressing andliquefying at hightemperature and expanding and volatilizing at low temperature arefrigerant in one chamber and simultaneously expanding and volatilizingat low temperature and compressing and liquefying at high temperature, arefrigerant in the other chamber said chambers being disposed verticallyand the bottom of said cham bers being in contact with a cold bodyadapted to allow heat to flow through said bottom into said chambers bycondensation of vapors on said bottom when said bottom is cold but tosubstantially prevent flow of heat from said bottom to said cold bodythrough said heat insulating vapors when said bottom is hot, and meansin contact with the uppermost Wall of said chambers adapted to absorbheat.

FRAZER W. GAY.

and said container, and means for cooling the

